Cemetery in the spotlight

A DISUSED, overgrown and run-down cemetery in Kingswood is to be the subject of a public meeting.

The former Wesleyan Methodist cemetery on Blackhorse Road, in private ownership since the late 1970s, has been inaccessible for decades. Nearly the whole of the site between Blackhorse Road and Waters Road is covered in brambles and the boundary wall has fallen down in several places.

Councillors for the area have been working with officials from South Gloucestershire Council for a number of years to try to get the owner to tidy the site, but to no avail.

Now the councillors are encouraging residents to take on routine maintenance of the site.

Legal advice from the council's lawyers has suggested that a residents' group whose intent is to improve the site would not be trespassing – paving the way for a major clear-up.

Council officers will arrange for an initial clear-up of the site, plus repair to the boundary walls if a residents' group can be formed. Legal advice has also suggested that if a residents' group maintained the site for ten years, it is possible they could claim ownership. The meeting is on Monday, December 3, at 7pm in the Park Centre opposite Kingswood Civic Centre. Anyone wishing to attend should call Marian Jones on 01454 865839.